• College Football Playoff expansion isn’t about double the teams, it’s about double the money.

We’re going about this the wrong way, staring at the glam instead of the guts. 

College football doesn’t have a playoff problem. College football has a player movement problem.

Yet the solution from all involved is as daring as it is dumb: Throw more money at it. 

The Big Ten wants a 24-team College Football Playoff format, and the SEC, Big 12 and ACC want 16. The CFP officially stayed at 12 teams for 2026 Friday because the SEC and Big Ten, at this point, can’t agree the sun sets in the West.

The idea of CFP change didn’t quickly evolve because university presidents decided they like the new postseason, and want more teams to experience the sheer magnitude of it all. It’s because their athletic departments are desperate for money in the new player empowerment era.

These movers and shakers of higher education took nearly 150 years to agree on a four-team playoff, and 12 years later, are already debating moving to 24. Not because it works, but because of necessity.

A 12-team playoff earns an estimated $1.5 billion annually in media rights from ESPN. Double the teams, and you’ll more than likely double the price. 

Player salaries have not only taken $23 million annually in media rights money from a university’s bottom line, they’re on the verge of taking much more. Apparently, only the Big Ten sees this. 

There’s no other reason the Big Ten, which had to be dragged kicking and screaming into the original four-team CFP, is digging in on 24 teams. Who would take a playoff that already has obvious growth flaws just two years into moving to 12 teams, and want to double the entries? 

Buy IU championship books, prints

The same person who tried to sell 10% of the Big Ten’s media rights to capital investors for $2.4 billion. You may not like Big Ten commissioner Tony Petitti’s business chops, but at least he’s stepping into the box and taking swings. 

At least he sees the employee train barreling down the track, and knows it’s time to do something. Because once players become employees — once the only salve to free player movement is enacted and players begin working off multi-year, unbreakable contracts — universities will be sharing much more than $23 million annually. 

Call it what you want. You say 1099 individual contractors, I say collective bargaining. No matter how you swing it, you’re still negotiating with players for a significantly larger piece of the media rights pie in exchange for multi-year deals. 

The Big Ten presidents understand this, and have given Petitti leeway to find new revenue streams. So he’s taking Ruthian swings.

Do you really think Petitti believes the sixth or seventh (or more) Big Ten or SEC team in a 24-team playoff is good for the health of the game? Of course not. 

It is, however, good for the financial bottom line of every university in the Big Ten. He’s gambling — to a larger extent than the SEC, Big 12 and ACC — that college football is bulletproof. 

No matter how you change, reformat or tweak it, fans can’t get enough. More to the point: Media companies (legacy and streaming) can’t pay enough.

Indiana and Miami just played a national championship game that drew an average of 30.1 million viewers. At one point in the game, the high-water mark was 33 million.

College football is second only to the NFL in live television viewership numbers, and is wildly undervalued. The NBA in 2024 signed an 11-year deal worth $76 billion from ESPN/ABC, NBC and Amazon Prime, and its television numbers pale in comparison to college football.

The Big Ten presidents and Petitti see the fatted calf, and want it. That doesn’t mean the SEC, Big 12 and ACC don’t also, it just means they haven’t reached that point of desperation. 

Because if the Big 12 and ACC were to agree with the Big Ten and want a move to 24 teams in the playoff, the SEC would go along. The presidents of the SEC and commissioner Greg Sankey can threaten to have their own playoff, but they won’t be the single reason college football isn’t whole.

Now, the rub: The CFP actually feels right at 12 teams. But get rid of the freebies for the Group of Six, and give them the same access as Notre Dame. If you’re ranked in the top 12, you’re in.  

Moving to 16 teams eliminates the reward of a first-round bye, further diminishing the regular season. Moving to 24 teams likely means a clunky first round of eight byes, presumably the top eight teams.

It also includes four automatic bids for each of the Power conferences. In 2025, that would’ve moved USC, Virginia, SMU, Pittsburgh, BYU, Utah and Houston to the CFP. 

Woof. 

Hey, somebody has to take big swings to fix the looming player movement problem.

Even if it’s as daring as it is dumb.

Ryan Wedding, a former Canadian Olympic snowboarder and alleged cocaine kingpin who FBI Director Kash Patel has compared to Pablo Escobar, was arrested on Friday, Jan. 23 after a ‘massive’ international manhunt. He was wanted on multiple murder and money laundering charges introduced over the past two years in connection to drug trafficking into the United States.

Wedding was flown to the United States, according to Attorney General Pam Bondi, ‘where he will face justice.’ The 44-year-old is expected to remain in custody during the weekend before an initial court appearance Monday morning, an FBI official said during a news conference Friday at Ontario International Airport in Southern California announcing Wedding’s arrest.

Law enforcement had been searching for Wedding for years due to his alleged ties to Mexico’s Sinaloa drug cartel, and his dark turn from world-class Olympic athlete to notorious fugitive and alleged drug dealer appears to have occurred long ago.

‘He went from an Olympic snowboarder to the largest narco-trafficker in modern times,’ Patel said during the news conference.

Here’s more on Wedding’s transformation from Olympic snowboarder to international drug dealer, including the charges he’s facing from federal authorities and details on what eventually led to his capture on Jan. 23:

What charges does Ryan Wedding face?

Wedding, along with 15 co-conspirators, was charged with eight felonies in October 2024 in a superseding indictment brought by the U.S. Department of Justice for allegedly ‘running and participating in a transnational drug trafficking operation that shipped hundreds of kilograms of cocaine, from Colombia, through Mexico and Southern California, to Canada and other locations in the United States, and whose leaders orchestrated multiple murders in furtherance of these drug crimes.’

Wedding officially faced two counts of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, one count of conspiracy to export cocaine, one count of leading a continuing criminal enterprise, three counts of murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime, and one count of attempt to commit murder in connection with a continuing criminal enterprise and drug crime.

Wedding was also charged in the original indictment with running a continuing criminal enterprise, murder, and conspiring to possess, distribute and export cocaine.

Wedding and a co-conspirator are specifically charged with directing the Nov. 20, 2023 drug-related murders of two members of a family in Ontario, Canada, as well as ordering the murder of another victim in Canada on May 18, 2024, over a drug debt, according to the Justice Department. Wedding’s most recent indictment included allegedly ordering the murder of an associate in Colombia in January 2025.

‘Ryan Wedding tormented several people and several families that will never be the same,’ Akil Davis, the assistant director of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office, said on Friday.

Ryan Wedding FBI most wanted

Wedding was added to the FBI’s ’10 Most Wanted Fugitives’ list in March 2025. There was initially a $10 million reward for information that led to the arrest and/or conviction of Wedding offered by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs. It was subsequently increased to $15 million in November by the U.S. Department of State.

Where was Ryan Wedding arrested?

Wedding was arrested on Thursday night, Jan. 22 in Mexico City, Patel said on Friday. He did not offer further details about how Wedding was apprehended or whether anybody received the $15 million reward, citing the need to ‘maximize operational security.’

Los Angeles was considered the hub of Wedding’s drug distribution network by law enforcement officials. But Wedding was long believed to be hiding in Mexico under the protection of the Sinaloa drug cartel, the organization allegedly tied to his drug trafficking operation. Previous Department of Justice indictments referred to him as a Canadian citizen living in Mexico.

Bondi, in her social media post announcing Wedding’s arrest on Jan. 23, thanked U.S. Ambassador to Mexico Ron Johnson and Mexican authorities for assisting in the case. She also noted Wedding had been flown to the United States to face criminal charges.

Ryan Wedding motorcycles seized

Has Ryan Wedding been arrested before?

Yes.

Wedding was arrested in June 2008 and accused of conspiring to possess with the intent to distribute cocaine. An affidavit in the case detailed how Wedding and associates traveled from Canada to San Diego as part of a drug trafficking organization based in Vancouver, according to CNN. But the drug deal was a sting and FBI agents arrested Wedding and two others, while investigators found $100,000 in cash in their hotel room.

Wedding was found guilty in November 2009 and sentenced to four years in prison in 2010. He was released from prison in December 2011, CNN reported.

Ryan Wedding, the Olympic snowboarder

Wedding, a Thunder Bay, Ontario native, first appeared on the Canadian national snowboarding team in 1997 and appeared in events around the world during the next five years, culminating with his appearance at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City. Wedding finished 24th in the parallel giant slalom snowboarding event at those Winter Games and his competitive career ended shortly thereafter.

Wedding then enrolled at Simon Fraser University and moved to Vancouver, according to Rolling Stone. The outlet also reported Wedding took a job as a bouncer at a club in Vancouver during that time and it eventually introduced him to the drug underworld in which he allegedly became a major player.

AI-assisted summary
• Colorado football coach Deion Sanders receives about five death threats per day, according to his head of security.
• Players were warned to be mindful of who they let into team facilities due to security concerns.
• His bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, is on the university payroll and previously worked with Sanders at Jackson State.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders gets about five death threats per day, according to his bodyguard, which is why his team was urged to take safety precautions during its first team meeting of 2026.

Sanders’ bodyguard, Michael Rhodes, told the team’s players to “be mindful” of who they let into football facilities, as documented in a video posted Friday, Jan. 23, by Sanders’ eldest son, Deion Jr.

“I’m Officer Rhodes. I’m head of security for Coach Prime,” Rhodes told the team. “Real quick, I want to say this. Those of y’all that are new, when y’all head up to the facilities in the morning, be mindful of who comes in with you, especially on the elevator. Don’t let somebody coerce you into scanning them up on the floor, because everybody’s trying to get to Coach Prime. Those people that are trying to get to them, not all of them have good intentions. So just be mindful of that, don’t prop open any doors, because my philosophy is, if the doors open, they will come through. Then they’re gonna have to meet me.”

Deion Sanders: ‘We get death threats all the time’

Deion Sanders then interjected to tell the team why he needs private security. Rhodes is listed on Colorado’s staff as “private security to the head coach” and was on the Colorado payroll last year at $48,880. Rhodes previously worked as a police officer at Jackson State, where Sanders served as head coach before getting hired at Colorado in December 2022. Rhodes also scans Sanders’ mail for potential risks, in addition to following him around at Colorado.

“We get death threats all the time,” Sanders said. “Why? I’m a Black man making it happen, making things move, making all that happen. So we have stuff that’s real.”

Sanders then asked Rhodes, “How many death threats we get?”

“About five every day,” Rhodes replied.

Sanders is entering his fourth year at Colorado after his team finished 3-9 in 2025, 9-4 in 2024 and 4-8 in 2023. The Buffaloes open the 2026 season Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

AI-assisted summary
• Colorado coach Deion Sanders banned players from wearing gear from their previous teams in Colorado facilities.
• He warned players against having their parents call coaches with grievances.
• The team welcomed several new assistant coaches for the upcoming season.

Colorado football coach Deion Sanders has so many new transfer players on his team again he’s needed to come up with a rule for how they dress.

Do not wear the gear of your previous team in Colorado facilities, he said in his first team meeting of 2026, as documented in a video posted Friday, Jan. 23, by his eldest son Deion Jr.

Sanders Sr. likened it to a player’s girlfriend wearing a shirt with her ex-boyfriend’s name on it.

“Don’t wear your old team’s gear in this facility,” Sanders told his team. “That’s disrespectful. That would be like your lady that you have currently wearing her ex (boyfriend’s) stuff. How you feel about that? She sitting up here with a shirt on that has her ex’s name… That’s how I feel about that when I see you coming to the cafeteria. You eat our food with your last teams on it? Obviously, if you wanted to stay there, you should have stayed.”

Sanders recruited 42 transfer players to his new team, replacing more than 35 who left for other schools. With so many new faces coming from other places, he’s had to lay down this and other rules for them.

Deion Sanders lays down Colorado team rules

Here’s a partial list of them as told to the team this week:

∎ No profanity outside the team meeting room.

“Profanity needs to stop,” said Sanders, who never uses it himself. “I heard it myself, especially in the dining area. It needs to stop. We’re not the only ones in the cafeteria.”

∎ No cellphones, food or drink in team meetings.

∎ Treat women with respect and address female staff members by calling them “miss” and not their first names.

∎ Sanders also warned players about parents who call Colorado coaches with any grievances.

“When you have your parents call the coaches, the coaches gonna report to me, and I’m gonna call your mom and your daddy and tell them to come and watch you practice, so they can see who you really are,” Sanders told his team. “Because you’re telling them you’re Tarzan, and most of the time, you Jane.”

Colorado football’s new assistant coaches introduced

Several new assistant coaches also introduced themselves at the meeting, including former Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Chris Marve (linebackers coach), former Abilene Christian co-defensive coordinator Aaron Fletcher (cornerbacks), former Gainesville, Georgia high school coach Josh Niblett (tight ends) and former Sacramento State head coach Brennan Marion (offensive coordinator).

Sanders also promoted Colorado staffer Johnnie Mack to running backs coach, replacing Pro Football Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk, who left to become head coach at Southern.

“There are some things that transpired in 2025 that obviously changed the faces in this room,” returning receivers coach Jason Phillips told the team.

Colorado finished 3-9 in 2025. The Buffaloes open Sanders’ fourth season as head coach on Sept. 5 at Georgia Tech.

Follow reporter Brent Schrotenboer @Schrotenboer. Email: bschrotenb@usatoday.com

Clemson football coach Dabo Swinney called out Mississippi coach Pete Golding for recruiting tampering with a then-member of the Tigers’ transfer class during his media availability on Friday, Jan. 23.

The two-time national championship head coach specifically called out Golding and Rebels general manager Austin Thomas for contacting now-former Clemson linebacker Luke Ferrelli, who recently flipped his transfer to Ole Miss after he initially transferred to the Tigers after his freshman season at Cal.

‘I know you’re signed, what’s the buyout?’ Swinney said of the text Ferrelli told Clemson general manager Jordan Sorrells that he received from Golding during his 8 a.m. class he was taking at Clemson.

Swinney continued by stating Ferrelli also disclosed that he received a photo of a $1 million check from Golding and received calls from Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss and former Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart. On the call with Chambliss, Swinney said that Ferrelli mentioned Golding — who was named the Rebels’ full-time coach following Lane Kiffin’s departure for LSU back on Nov. 30 — was also on the call and was trying to ‘push him to re-enter the transfer portal.’

‘If you tamper with my players, I’m going to turn you in,’ Swinney said.

Carter also mentioned that Neff said that Clemson is ‘exploring’ legal options with the situation as well.

Ferrelli flipped his transfer to the Rebels on Thursday, Jan. 22 after reentering the portal on Friday, Jan. 16, the final day it was open for players to enter unless they were playing in the College Football Playoff national championship.

‘We have a broken system, and if there are no consequences for tampering, then we have no rules and we have no governance,’ Swinney said.

In his lone season at Cal, Ferrelli recorded 91 tackles, a sack, an interception and one pass breakup in 13 games this season for Cal. He was additionally named ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year.

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One of the wildest NFL coaching carousels in league history is finally showing signs of slowing down.

With 10 head-coaching vacancies in total after the Buffalo Bills’ stunning dismissal of Sean McDermott this week, the onset of the offseason was far more active than anyone could have anticipated. But half of the openings have now been officially filled, and the initial rush to secure the most in-demand candidates seems to have died off.

Given the myriad unknowns and extenuating circumstances when assessing what went right or wrong at the very top for any team, evaluating head-coaching hires can be notoriously difficult. With that said, here is our initial ranking of all the coaching hires so far:

1. John Harbaugh, New York Giants

On Black Monday, it seemed as though his year’s candidate pool lacked the equivalent of a Mike Vrabel or Ben Johnson. One day later, Harbaugh was thrown into the mix and became the clear headliner.

Expecting the former Ravens coach to replicate what the New England Patriots or Chicago Bears achieved in Year 1 of their new regimes would be unreasonable. Still, Harbaugh’s track record – just three losing seasons in 18 years – is the stuff of dreams for a Giants franchise tied for the fewest wins since 2017 (44).

Harbaugh was the one option this cycle who looked capable of flipping an organization’s culture, even if it required some uncomfortable shifts. Given how set in their ways the Giants have been, the transformation might not take place overnight. But Big Blue has seen sharp play-callers flame out, so inspiring hope was going to necessitate finding someone capable of addressing the very core of the organization.

In Harbaugh, they now have that.

2. Jesse Minter, Baltimore Ravens

Parting with Harbaugh only to turn to a family disciple might seem like a strange move. But in hiring Minter, Baltimore can hold onto much of what worked for the previous regime while still finding a fresh voice and direction for the franchise.

Widely lauded for both his schematic acumen and his ability to connect with others, Minter already has an extensive track record of bringing along young players. That no doubt was a major draw for a Ravens team with a top-heavy roster and a firm commitment to developing home-grown talent. In Los Angeles, Minter’s remaking of the defense took hold almost instantly. The Ravens might be due for a bit more upheaval on that side of the ball than they’re accustomed to, but Minter could help the franchise return to its roots. At the very least, he can help the unit cut down on the considerable number of lapses that became an unfortunate running theme last season.

Of course, that fails to address a pretty crucial factor: Who guides Lamar Jackson and the offense? Securing the right offensive play-caller is one of the vital early steps for Minter, and succeeding on that front might necessitate finding another answer in a year or two if his coordinator of choice flourishes and earns head-coaching consideration. But there are several promising options available, all of whom should be eager to join this staff and work with a two-time NFL MVP in Jackson.

3. Kevin Stefanski, Atlanta Falcons

Given owner Arthur Blank’s impatience in ending the league’s second-longest active playoff drought, Harbaugh understandably would have been the big prize here. But landing a two-time NFL Coach of the Year should be more than a satisfactory outcome for the Falcons.

It’s fair to wonder how much blame Stefanski bears for an 8-26 record in his final two years with the Cleveland Browns. There’s no questioning his resourcefulness, though, and that trait should come in handy as he takes on a far less imposing undertaking than the one he had been saddled with. His wide-zone scheme is bound to be a boon for All-Pro running back Bijan Robinson, and he can help compensate for the lack of wide receiver threats beyond Drake London.

The hiccup here could be in the potential disconnect between Stefanski’s tendencies and quarterback Michael Penix Jr.’s strengths, which haven’t included attacking the middle of the field, working from under center or operating with reliable precision. Stefanski might have been best off coming aboard two years ago, when the team was first finding its way with his former pupil, Kirk Cousins. But Atlanta couldn’t afford to center its coaching search on Penix, who is coming off a torn anterior cruciate ligament.

Maybe this isn’t an outright moon shot. Yet with the NFC South still looking eminently winnable, this feels like substantial progress toward at least joining the conference’s second tier of contenders. Bonus points, too, for retaining defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich, who revved up the long-dormant pass rush and helped several young defenders break out in 2025.

4. Robert Saleh, Tennessee Titans

Perhaps feeling some pangs of remorse after parting with Mike Vrabel and giving an unproven entity in Brian Callahan a shot, the Titans went hard at second-time head coaches this cycle. In all, 14 of the 18 candidates they interviewed had prior experience running a franchise. With Saleh, Tennessee ended up doling out a second chance to someone who has shown enough to indicate things might go smoother than they did in his first go-around.

Perhaps the optics weren’t great in the early going, as the first three hires this cycle all materialized ahead of scheduled visits with the Titans. But credit Tennessee for not being overly rigid in their process, which many assumed would be focused on pairing 2025 No. 1 pick Cam Ward with an offensive play-caller for a head coach.

Saleh did superlative work in keeping a San Francisco 49ers defense ravaged by injuries afloat, and his plan to hang onto defensive play-calling duties while serving as head coach should facilitate an expedited turnaround on that side of the ball. Of course, the larger question is how he fills out his coaching staff on offense after he failed to set up a proper support system in his four seasons with the New York Jets. There were also plenty of mishaps with cultural development and locker room management in his first stop, but Saleh surely took away some lessons in what not to do at his next opportunity.

With Tennessee having an estimated league-high $93.5 million in cap space, according to Over The Cap, and few promising pieces beyond Ward, Saleh at least sizes up as someone who should prove skillful in building from the ground floor.

5. Jeff Hafley, Miami Dolphins

By no means is Hafley an egregious hire. After his two years as the Green Bay Packers’ defensive coordinator, it seemed as though he’d rank among the more attractive potential first-time head coaches. And with Miami bringing aboard fellow Packer ex-pat Jon-Eric Sullivan as general manager, there’s solid alignment here for a franchise that’s probably staring down a full-scale reset in 2026.

But there’s a bit more of an unknown element to him than there is for others on this list.

Hafley managed to revitalize the Packers’ defense almost immediately upon his arrival. His creativity in navigating the unit’s deficiencies at various points augurs well for a team that presents a plethora of its own shortcomings. The Dolphins could also stand to benefit from a shift in accountability after repeatedly reverting to finger-pointing under Mike McDaniel.

Still, this is a lot to take on for someone whose only prior head-coaching experience was at Boston College. The Dolphins probably made the shrewd move in riding things out with a fresh face rather than expecting a retread hire to turn things around right away. But Hafley might have a harder time than some of his peers in filling out a staff capable of accounting for all his blind spots as he takes the wheel.

Alex Honnold’s planned climb of Taipei 101, which was to be documented in a Netflix live event airing Friday night in the United States, has been postponed due to weather, Netflix announced.

The climb and broadcast will be bumped 24 hours, now slated to start Saturday night, Jan. 24 at 8 p.m. ET. ‘Safety remains our top priority, and we appreciate your understanding,’ Netflix said in a statement.

Honnold, 40, made history in 2017 when he became the first person to complete a ‘free solo’ climb of El Capitan in Yosemite National Park. His quest and harrowing climb done using only his arms, legs and hand chalk was documented in the 2018 film ‘Free Solo.’

Now, he’s attempting to free solo Taipei 101 – once the tallest building in the world that still measures in at 1,667 feet. Delayed 24 hours, his quest will go off Sunday in Taiwan (Saturday night in the USA).

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A potentially catastrophic winter storm has caused commotion throughout parts of the country and could affect the NBA regular-season schedule as Southern states prepare for ice conditions, while Midwest, Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states expect heavy snow.

The NBA announced Thursday that the Jan. 24 regular-season matchup between the Washington Wizards and the Charlotte Hornets in Charlotte, North Carolina was moved to the early afternoon due to severe winter storm warnings in the area.

Their game was originally supposed to tip-off at 6 p.m. ET Saturday, however the game was moved up six hours and will now tip-off time at noon ET because of the impending weather.

Winter Storm Fern, as named by The Weather Channel, could cause power outages, tree damage and make travel plans more dangerous. States within the southern Rockies, the Texas Panhandle and Oklahoma, the Ohio Valley and Northeast will likely pick up at least six inches of snow through Monday, the Weather Channel forecasted. A number of states in the South, including North Carolina, could be hit by a dangerous ice storm.

Dallas Mavericks vs. Los Angeles Lakers

With the Wizards-Hornets game in Charlotte being rescheduled to an earlier start time, many look at the Dallas Mavericks and Los Angeles Lakers Saturday evening game and wonder if it’ll be postponed or rescheduled as well.

The Mavericks-Lakers game is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. ET (7:30 p.m. local) Saturday at American Airline Center in Dallas.

As of now, the game time remains intact, however the Mavericks are keeping an eye out for the weather in case they need to make arrangements.

In an post on social media, the Mavericks said they are ‘closely monitoring’ the weather conditions leading up to the Jan. 24 game and will take ‘all necessary precautions’ to ensure a safe and comfortable experience.

‘Fans are encouraged to plan ahead allow extra travel time, and stay tuned to official Dallas Mavericks channels for real-time updates,’ the X post read. ‘The Mavericks will provide an additional update on Saturday should conditions change or further operational adjustments be required.’

Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Indiana Pacers

Despite threats of severe winter weather, the NBA Finals rematch between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Indiana Pacers at Paycom Center in Oklahoma City is still on track and time has not been moved, according to The Oklahoman.

The game is set to tip off at 8 p.m. ET (7 p.m. CT).

NBA canceled games

A postponed game wouldn’t be uncharted territory for the NBA.

Earlier this month, a scheduled Jan. 8 contest between the Chicago Bulls and Miami Heat at United Center in Chicago was postponed ‘due to moisture on the floor, rendering the court unplayable,’ the NBA said in a statement.

Humidity from a warm and rainy Chicago day caused excessive condensation leading to a slippery court.

The Bulls-Heat game was rescheduled for Jan. 29.

AI-assisted summary
• The New England Patriots finished the 2025 regular season with a perfect 8-0 road record.
• Head coach Mike Vrabel gave players commemorative footballs celebrating their ‘Road Warriors’ identity.
• Players are preparing for challenges in Denver, including crowd noise and the effects of high altitude.

FOXBOROUGH, MA – At the end of the regular season, New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel presented each player with a pair of commemorative game balls to honor a pair of accomplishments.

One congratulated them for winning the AFC East, something the Patriots had not done since 2019 and Tom Brady was the quarterback. The other was more custom-made and unusual. 

The other ball was inscribed with “Road Warriors” and “Our Identity Travels,” along with the scores of each game the team won on the road in 2025 – which would be eight, for a perfect 8-0 record on the road, something that’s been done only 12 times in NFL history (the 2024 Detroit Lions were the most recent before New England). 

The second-seeded Pats now face the No. 1 seed Denver Broncos in the Jan. 25 AFC championship game, a challenge made tougher by the altitude demands and raucous environment created by fans at the behest – and quiet assurance – of head coach Sean Payton. The Pats are 0-4 at Mile High in the playoffs, the most recent defeat coming 10 years ago in the conference title game (and another one two years before that). 

“I look forward to obviously changing that,” linebacker K’Lavon Chaisson said. 

The effect of that “identity,” linebacker Jack Gibbens said, is an unselfish group with a “whatever-it-takes mentality.”

“I think that’s what we’ve carried with us throughout the season,” he said. “But especially on the road, just kind of being able to bond together, do whatever it takes to get the win. 

“It comes down to identity and belief.” 

That identity, Gibbens added, is a combination of playing with effort, physicality and finishing the play. 

“I think we try to preach it through the entire offseason and being able to establish an identity that travels,” Vrabel said. “Overcoming mistakes that happen in the game, which there always are. I think that you have to be resilient. There’s going to be some swings of momentum. You’re going to have to be able to handle the environment offensively and not put yourself in bad situations because your operation isn’t very good. So, there’s a lot of things that we try to practice, knowing that we’re going to have to play half of our games on the road.” 

Patriots seek to break Mile High losing streak with ‘Road Warrior’ mentality

The 2007 New England Patriots, obviously, were perfect on the road, as they were for 18 games before losing in the Super Bowl to the New York Giants. The 1972 Miami Dolphins also fall into the “obviously” category, and the 1982 Washington squad benefited from a strike-shortened, nine-game season to earn their spot on the list of the NFL’s top road warriors. The Bill Walsh-era San Francisco 49ers did it three times (1984, 1989, 1990), and the St. Louis Rams did it before losing to the Patriots in Super Bowl 36. 

The Seattle Seahawks were the lone team with one loss on the road this season and had an extra game away from Lumen Field.

One of the coolest feelings in the NFL, quarterback Drake Maye said, is coming off the field at “their place, with screaming fans, and coming out with a win.” 

“I think it’s pretty cool to celebrate and celebrating in an away locker room that’s different. Coach has always been saying, ‘Road warriors.’ So, we’re trying to find that one more time and finish out strong what we’ve done this year. We’ve got a tough job and a tough challenge, but I think the guys will be pumped up and ready for it.”

Maye said he’s used a silent count for almost every road game this season. The second-year quarterback guessed the decibel levels that will be reached at Empower Field at Mile High will dwarf what he’s heard this season – it’s the AFC championship game, after all. 

A famous sign by the visiting team’s entrance to Mile High reads “Altitude sickness is real” and has the elevation of the stadium (5,280 feet). Pats tight end Austin Hooper said that the altitude effects are real. 

“You can let it affect you if you want to,” he said. “At the end of the day, guys are in shape. Get out there, run around, stay hydrated, be ready to go.”

Maye said he’s never played at elevation, either. His plan is to feel out how the thinner air affects his passes during warmups. Fatigue is more of a concern. 

“Maybe throw a few extra deep ones, see how it is. I think it’ll be pretty cool,” he said. “Get a few extra yards on a deep ball, you can always use that.”

For the special teams unit, they’ll have to figure out how the altitude impacts kicker Andy Borregales’ distance, which will also be dependent on how cold it is, special teams coordinator Jeremy Springer said. Punt returner Marcus Jones could have to adjust for elongated hang time while making his decision on whether to run after the catch or to call for a fair catch. 

“Road warriors,” Hooper said, “we got one more to do it.”